When exhibiting your work, there are two main things you must consider. The first is how to hang your paintings or photographs. This article will go into some detail about this. The second thing to think about is how to position your artwork for best effect.
This article will talk about both of these and give you tips and tricks to do so!
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Introduction
As we know, being a photographer or artist means promoting your craft constantly. You will need to understand how to exhibit your work and where to show it.
Hanging art can make or break an exhibition, which is why it is important to be familiar with the process. Luckily, most mediums such as acrylic, watercolor, oil and canvas can be hung using either nails, string, hook-and-eye bands or plastic frame covers.
But what kind of hanging material should you use? And what size canvases are best? These questions and more can easily be answered by learning how to display pictures.
Organize your exhibition
After deciding where you would like to exhibit your work, next is to determine how to organize your show. There are two main ways to do this: by season or by genre.
Your first decision will depend on what kind of photography you want to showcase. If you only take candid photos outside, then you can just put those into an outdoor gallery.
If you focus more on still life photo-settings, you can create a separate still life gallery. And if you have creative shot taking skills, then you can use that as your element for organization.
You can also choose to combine both genres together! For example, there could be an indoor still life gallery and an outdoor casual portrait gallery.
Having different galleries depending on the type of art makes it easy for people to browse through and see all of your pieces. It also gives you the chance to mix and match styles and materials in your photographs.
Choose a theme for your exhibition
Choosing a thematic focus is an important step towards exhibiting your photography. It can be as simple as choosing a nature scene or landscape, still life, people, urban landscapes and so on!
There are many ways to use photographs to achieve this. By using different genres and styles, your audience will feel there’s a connection with you as an artist. Your style will also influence which genre others choose to use.
It’s not always easy to know what will work when it comes to showcasing your talent, but if you have a passion that you’re willing to invest time into then it will pay off.
Prepare your display pieces
After you have done some research, gathered your equipment, and made sure your settings are correct, it is time to prepare your display pieces!
You will want to make sure that you do not use too many light sources when exhibiting your work as this may distract from the pictures. You also do not want to use very bright lights as this may overpower the picture.
Instead, use natural sunlight or candlelight to illuminate the photographs.
Connect your display pieces to the theme
After deciding what genre of photography you want to use, the next step is determining how to exhibit your work. There are two main types of galleries: exhibition or collection-based spaces and public open displays.
Exhibition-style galleries give you more room to showcase your art, but they may not be the best option for most photographers due to the cost. This type of gallery requires you as the artist to pay an entry fee and possibly additional fees per photograph depending on the size and content.
Public open display style galleries are free to enter, however there is usually a limit on number of photographs that can be shown at one time. This could be a problem if you wish to promote several different styles, brands, or products!
A good way to expose your artwork while staying within budget is by using photo booths or off-the-shelf kiosk units. These can easily be connected to your computer so you do not have to purchase expensive software such as Adobe Photoshop to edit them.
Choose your location
Choosing where to exhibit is an integral part of exhibiting photography. You do not want to choose poor lighting, cold weather, or uncomfortable surroundings for your audience to experience your work.
There are two main reasons this does not make sense. One is moral – you do not want to expose people to content that features offensive, harmful, or disturbing imagery or messages. The other is practical – being able to display your work properly is a key factor in getting foot traffic through the gallery.
Making sure your exhibition space is comfortable and well-lit is important so visitors can fully appreciate your pictures!
Surrounding buildings, trees, or both may affect how light bounces off the walls, which could change the overall look and feel of the images. This would be worth looking into if you notice shadows or darkness in certain areas when viewing your photographs.
General tips: If possible, try holding your exhibition during daylight hours to help even out the exposure. Even though sunlight is natural lighting, many artificial lights cannot completely wash out the darker parts of the picture like it would naturally. Having adequate illumination will help ensure your image looks its best.
Another way to level out the brightness is by using neutral toned materials to block up any dark spaces. Using white sheets as coverings for the wall or hanging canvasses will do the trick!
For more information about choosing exhibition locations check our article: Tips For Finding An Ideal Exhibition Location.
Prepare your space
Before you even start taking pictures, you have to make sure that your space is conducive for showing off your work. This includes your light source, props, and overall feel of the exhibition.
Your ambient lighting should be pretty strong so people can really look into the photographs! If possible, use natural sunlight as the main light source.
You do not need very expensive equipment to take good looking photos! A basic camera with manual settings is enough to begin experimenting with. There are many free or low cost applications that allow you to edit and organize your images.
We recommend trying out photoshop and lightroom before spending money on more professional software like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Pro and Adobe Photoshop Extended (which is still less than $100).
Props are great additions to any photograph. You do not necessarily have to spend lots of money on them, there are many things you can make yourself or find online.
This article will go over some simple tips to exhibit photography in a gallery.
Open your exhibition
After you have spent time creating your art, it is now time to show it! When deciding where to exhibit your work, there are two main things that matter. First, what kind of setting is best for your artwork? This includes whether an indoor or outdoor space is more conducive to display and viewing.
Second, how will people find your artwork? Will they know it exists if you do not tell them about it?
You can put your photos up on various social media sites like Instagram or Twitter, but this does not set them apart nor does it help get their recognition. You should consider putting together an open exhibition. This means telling people directly where you are showing your work and linking to the event on social media so others may also attend.
Another way to promote your photography is by starting a photo group or photogroup on Facebook. People can join your group as guests which is free, or pay a monthly fee to gain some additional features such as being able to upload images and share them with the rest of the members.
Marketing your exhibition
After you have finished taking pictures, it is time to start marketing your exhibition! While most people focus on showing off their work, there are two other very important things that must be done.
First, you need to think of ways to get the word out about your show. This can be doing some social media posting, talking with friends, putting up posters or flyers, and even holding an opening reception if possible.
Second, you should consider how you will promote your exhibition.
